Not Just a Cup of Coffee

They say that coffee fuels the nation. I couldn’t agree more! And if you’re a tired, scrubs clad medical professional reading this, I’m sure you’re nodding your head in agreement while trying not to burn your tongue on- what is it?- your 4th cup of coffee? My, my…do you even know what goes into each cup? Just kidding, I’m not going to lecture you on the good, the bad, and the ugly. After all, what kind of a medical professional would you be if I forced you to give up your daily dose (doses?) of caffeine. But since coffee IS a major part of your life, I am going to offer you some coffee fun facts. Get your energy on!

1. Oil is the number one sold commodity in the world. And guess what comes in second place: you got it- COFFEE.

2. The average American, (and no, that probably doesn’t include the overworked medical professional,) consumes approximately 3.1 nine ounce capacity cups of coffee a day. Don’t even bother trying to get your tired brain to do the math, I’ll do it for you…that’s a whopping 1,132 cups of coffee per drinker per year. And it’s probably more for you!

3. Good news: A recent study found that drinking coffee midlife leads to lower chances of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s. Uh-oh, I think I may have misplaced my stethoscope…time for another hot java!

4. Hesitant about adding that creamer to your cup of joe for fear of it getting cold too soon! Don’t be; it’ll keep your coffee hotter for a longer period of time. What?? Yup, thicker liquids (like coffee with cream) evaporate at a slower rate than thinner liquids. So if your shift is particularly crazy, it would serve you well to add a bit of creamer!

5. Drinking coffee before doing exercise will give your workout routine an extra jolt. And if you consider running around during a shift to be an exercise routine (which I obviously do!) then don’t even think about giving up that pre-shift coffee.

There you have it; now you have a conversation piece to share with the 83% of Americans who drink coffee, and, of course, your sleep deprived colleagues!